2024 Set to Become Hottest Year Recorded Amid Climate Urgency
The Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that 2024 is expected to be the hottest year on record, surpassing 2023, as global temperatures rise sharply. This projection indicates the alarming reality of surpassing the 1.5 °C threshold above pre-industrial averages. Urgent action is needed as significant climate events exacerbate global crises, coinciding with COP29 discussions on enhanced funding for climate initiatives.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has reported that the year 2024 is poised to become the hottest year on record globally, surpassing the previous record set in 2023. Data from C3S for the period spanning from January to October indicates a significant rise in global temperatures, needing only an unprecedented cooling in the final months of the year to avert this forthcoming record. Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S, attributed this alarming trend to ongoing climate change, underscoring that warming is evident on all continents and in ocean basins, leading to inevitable new temperature highs. Notably, 2024 is expected to mark the first instance of global temperatures exceeding the critical threshold of 1.5 °C above the 1850-1990 pre-industrial average. This threshold, once perceived as a distant possibility, is now imminent, warns scientists. Sonia Seneviratne, a climate scientist at ETH Zurich, expressed her concerns regarding the insufficient pace of global actions on carbon emissions which threatens the Paris Agreement targets aimed at limiting temperature increases. She stated that the initiatives outlined in the Paris Agreement are increasingly jeopardized by inadequate climate action globally. The year has so far been characterized by severe weather events, attributable to the heightened temperatures. October experienced devastating flash floods in Spain, serious wildfires in Peru, and catastrophic flooding in Bangladesh, which resulted in the loss of over a million tons of rice, thus impacting food prices dramatically. In the United States, Hurricane Milton was similarly intensified by climate change factors. These events serve as stark reminders of the urgency for significant action, especially in light of COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, where leaders are expected to advocate for increased funding to address climate change.
The ongoing discourse surrounding climate change is underscored by a recent report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which projects that 2024 will set a new record for global temperatures. This forecast indicates the acceleration of climate change effects and the imminent crossing of a critical temperature threshold that could have long-term consequences for the planet. The report serves as a crucial warning ahead of the COP29 climate summit, emphasizing the need for urgent global action against carbon emissions to prevent surpassing the limits established in the Paris Agreement.
In summary, the report from C3S underscores a critical moment in global climate dynamics, with 2024 on track to become the hottest year recorded due to ongoing climate change. The crossing of the 1.5 °C threshold highlights the urgency for immediate climate action to adhere to the Paris Agreement. Severe weather events this year further illustrate the devastating impacts of climate change, emphasizing the need for meaningful commitments at upcoming global summits.
Original Source: www.wionews.com
